Water service device



Jan- 9, 1940- J. E. RILEYv WATER sam/ICE DEVICE Filed Jan. 3. 1959 '2 sheets-sheet 1 .Illl Il Ill-I llllllllll Inverftor: James E RLLe mfg 5 ttor-neys Jan. 9, 1940. j` E, R|| EY WATER SERVICE DEVCE Filed'Jan. 5, 1939' 2 sheets-sheet 2 I nventor':

Patented Jan. 9, 1940 4 ff l UNITED Y PATENT'-OFFIC'EJ WATER SERVICE DEVICE 1 James E. Riley,`Mim-1eap`olis, Application January 3, 1939, Serial No. 249,065

4 Claims.

My invention relates to water service devices.

It relates more particularly 'to shut voff devices,A

which are placed between the water main and the place to be serviced .with water. Thewater main and the valve portion of the shut off device which is in the connection leading from the pense to the ,taxpayer since he isfcharged with the cost of the repair work. An object therefore of my invention is to reduce the liability of leaks in connection with the shut off device.A In order to accomplish this desirableY result, AI provide three things, as follows: (1) Aitight box surrounding the valve casing whereby the entrance of sand and-dirt is prevented; (2) a standpipe extending up from the valve casing which standA pipe has its upper portion in permanently sliding relation to its lower portionso; that freezing of the ground cannot impose any `strain on the shut olf device and its vconneotionsfor passage of water; (3)` a closure in the upper portion of the lstand pipe which requires a. special tool to remove so that unauthorized persons,.such vas children, cannot drop any` foreign material downy the stand pipe. l p The novel features which Ibelieve-to be char` acteristic of my invention are set forth with parf ticularity in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to itsorganization and method of operationtogether with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood -from the following descriptionof a spe.

cie embodiment, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevationalviewof the device installed for use. y y f y. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary viewgin vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3, looking inthe direction of the arrows and showing an upper closure. f

Fig. 3 is a view in horizontal section onthe line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of thearrows. f' 1 y Fig. 4 is a viewfin horizontal section'ron the line' 4-4 of Fig. 7,*1ookingin the'direction of the arrows. A y 1 '1 I Fig. 5 is a view in horizontal section on the line 5-5 of Fig. the arrows.

7, looki'ngin the direction ofv Fig. 6 (Sheet 2) is a View of the device largely in central vertical section.'

Fig. v'7 is a view of a portion of the device taken at right. angles to Fig. 6.

c Fig. 8 Yisl anelevational view of the'box show-l ing in dotted lineshovvgthe two parts thereof may be separated.`

t `Referring. to the construction` shown in the drawings,` the numeral. IIIy designates the cus-y tornary valve casing which contains a shut off.. valve having a headl consisting of a. square por- ,tion I2 above which is narrow portion I4y so that the valve may be readilyr turned by tools* having differently constructed engaging ends. As shown in Fig,i6, the upper end of the valve casing is provided with screw threads I6 upon which is screwed a cup member I8 spaced'from the square portion I2 of the valve iig.

surrounding and head.v As usual, the valve casing I0 carries al tubular member Zadapted to be connected by a pipewith the watermain and also carries a tubularmember 22 adapted to be connected b l ka pipe with the place tobe serviced. yIn order yto prevent the entrance of sand and` dirt to the valve casing I0, I provide as part vof my inventionL a box 24 best shown in Fig.. 8 and which is adapted to t tightly around the valve casing I0. 1 The box 24 has abase member 26-which carries the upstanding portion of the boX. Thisupstanding portion is made in two parts28 and 30.` The member 28 is integrally carried by the base 26 while the member 3'isf detachable `and fat its lower end carries la. hook 32 4adapted to be engaged in a slot 34 formed in "the-.base 26. f lls will beapparent from Figs. 6,`

'7- ;an'd- 8,-the contiguous sides of the members 28 and 3|) are notched out just sufliciently to vsnuglyl receive thertubular connections on the two op posite sides of the valve casingA lll. I

Thel two-part construction of the box 24 enables it to be. readily installed around they valve casing as will be understood from Fig. 8.` In orderthat the member maybe readily swung intopositionaround the-hook 32,'the lower edges `ofthek member, 28 aremade concave as indicated atl 36 ywhile the corresponding edges of the memberk-30 laremade convex as indicated at 3B. This not only provides for easy installation of the box around the valve-'casing but insures a tight enclosure therefor. Furthermoreit'will be noted that the upper edges of the member 28 .are

notchedv as indicated at 40 while the'correspond-- ing'edges of Ythe member 30,have projections 42 whichjfit intogthe notches 40. The' members 28 @ne i0 belawhei @912s afgewend .respectively with outwardly extending flanges 44 and 4G which are provided with slots t3.

After the box 24 has been placed in tight condition around the valve casing Il) in the manner previously referred to, the lower section 50 of a stand pipe 52 is secured to the upper portion of the box. In order to do this the lower end of the section G is provided with diametrically opposite anges 54 containing holes through which and through the slots 48, bolts 5S are secured.

For completing the stand pipe 52, an upper section 58 is provided, this section being shown as consisting of two parts firmly secured together at S so that the upper section 53 is in effect an integral member.

Another very important feature of my invention will now be described. I-Ieretofore-it has been customary in devices of this character to provide a stand pipe made in two sections and having their two adjacent ends telescoped and provided with a packing designed to permit the upper section to slide with relation to the lower section. This is for the purpose of preventing strains on the valve casing and connections during freezing of the ground. I have found that in the course of time, the metal adjacent the packing becomes corroded so that the upper section of the stand pipe is no longer capable of sliding on the lower section, the result being that strains occur which cause leakage with cone sequent necessity of digging down to the shut oi' valve and its connections. In order to overcome this diiculty, I have provided the construction now to be described. The lower end of the upper section 58 is telescoped for a considerable l distance over the upper end of the lower section 5D. Instead of providing a packed joint between the two sections, I provide a loose telescoping construction with allowance for considerable space between the telescoped portions. An outwardly extending lug 62 on the lower section 50 serves as a stop for the downward movement o1" the upper section 53, it being understood as a matter of course that `freezing of the ground has a lifting action on the upper section. In order to guide the upper section and keep it in alinement with the lower section, I provide the lower section with a number of outstanding projections lit which space the telescopedportions equally from each other. As shown in Fig. 1, there is an upper vcircumferential row and a lower circumferential row of these projections with four of them in each row. The point'of contact of these projections with the upper section is very" small so that there is no danger of causing themto stick by corrosive action to the upper section, but at the same time the upper section is guided and kept in alinement withthe lower section. l

Another feature. of my invention will now be described. 4It is customary to provide the upper end of the stand --pipe 52 with a hinged cover 66 which is very easily lifted. I have found that this fact permits mischievous persons, especially children, to stuit all sorts of trash down the stand pipe with the result that the stand pipe sometimes becomes lled and should vbe cleaned out. Furthermore, the presence of this ltrash increases the liability of leaks occurring, especially during freezing weather. It also sometimes happens that snow plows and trucks rbreak `oil? the hinged cover 66 so that extraneous material collects in the stand pipe. This trash and extraneous materialn the stand pipemakes it impossible to reach the shut off valve with a tool so that it sometimes becomes necessary to dig down outside of the stand pipe before the shut oi valve can be turned. In order to overcome this difficulty, Iprovide a closure inthe upper portion of the stand pipe which can be removed only by the use of a special tool not apt to be accessible to unauthorized persons. Referring to the particular construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, I secure a ring 68 in the upper portion of the stand pipe by means of a screw plug 'lll extending through the stand pipe and having its head inside of the ring. The ring is internally threaded to receive a threaded plug l2, the head of screw plug 7! preventing the plug 'i2 from being turned entirely through the ring. The upper surfaceY of the plug 12 carries a projection 'i4 of special conguration so that a special tool is required to remove the plug. As shown, this projection is pentagonal or ve sided. The ring t8, the screw plug 'i and the plug l2 are made 4of non-corrodable material, such as brass, which gives these parts a very long life without danger of getting out of place, as by dropping to the bottom of the stand pipe.

'The operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood in connection with the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings. It is to be noted that the lower end of the stand pipe iits snugly around the upper portions of the box members 28 and 3U and that these upper portions fit snugly around the cup member I8. Furthermore the box members 28 and 3l? `when assembled fit snugly around the tubular projections extending out from the two opposite sidesof the valve casing. Therefore, entrance of sand and dirt to the valve casing and into the lower portion of the stand pipe containing thefhead of the shut off valve is eectively prevented. The construction which I have provided not only; greatly lessens the -liability of leaks occurring adjacent the shut off valve, but also greatly decreases the necessity of digging down to the shut off valve, which is a diiiicult and messy job, especially when the ground is saturated 'with water or frozen, it`being understood as a matter of course that in cold climates, it is necessary to place the shut off valve a considerable distance belowthe surface of the ground. My construction therefore often saves f considerable lexpense to the taxpayer, since it guarantees a clean box and ability to reach `the shut oft valve with atool inserted down the stand pipe. Y l

The tight closure in the upper portion of the stand pipe has another very important purpose whichY is during thawing of the ground, water is prevented `from running down the stand pipe and then freezing solidtherein. If this should occur, then in order to reach the shut oi device, it is .necessary to dig downto this device. But since the special closure just referred to is positioned near the 'top of the stand pipe, only a shallow layer of ice can form thereover and this can be readilyremoved, as by chiseling.

I claim: f

1. A stop box for underground valves, comprising a bottom wall and two vertical members adapted to surroundand tightly enclose the valve casing, said vertical members being constructed to iit snugly around the pipe connections from opposite sides of the valve, one Lof said vertical members being xedly Ycarried 4by said bottom wall, and means for detachably securing the other vertical member to said bottom.

2. A stop box `for underground valves, `comprising, a fbottom Wall formed with a slot, twoy vertical members adapted to surround and tightly enclose the Valve'casing, one'of said members being xedly carried by "said bottom wall, and

a projectionA on the lower end ofthe other of said members adapted to be detachably engaged in said slot. A

3. A stop box for underground valves, comprising a bottom Wall formed vWitln aI slot, twov l l 3 curved .to permit the detachable member to swing upon said hook into close engagement of said edges with the fixed member and with one side of the pipe connections to the Valve.

4. A K stop box for underground valves, comprisingfmembers adapted to` surround and tightly enclose the Valve casing, a stand secured to said members provided With two sets of projectionsv l spaced apart and with their outer margins in Va common cylindrical plane forming conjointly guide members, a stop ron said stand below said f guide members, and an upper pipe section telescoped over said stand with its inner surface in contact with said projections and with itsvlower end engaging said stop.

JAMES 

